In this episode of All Things Marketing and Education, we meet Katie Test Davis, Founder of Forthright Advising, a national PR and communications firm focused on organizations that love kids. Elana Leoni, CEO at Leoni Consulting Group (LCG), sits down with Katie for a spirited, inspiring conversation about harnessing the power of narrative, identifying relatable characters and core stories, and brighter worlds blossoming from small details. We really think you should listen to the podcast but in case you don’t have time, we provided some highlights and all of the resources talked about in the episode.
Storytelling as a Powerful Way to Communicate
Forthright's client list includes nonprofits and for-profits focused on children, families, or education and school districts with innovative programs. Katie said, "Our specialty is creating thoughtful communication strategies that help organizations and leaders think about their vision of a brighter world. We help you identify who can make that vision a reality, where those people get their information, and how we can get your brand mission, campaign, issue in front of your target audiences."
Her strategy grows from the art and science of storytelling. Katie explained how strong, relatable narratives are effective for reaching people during these stressful times: "The fact that stories interact with our brains in a different way and really feel personal – you're taking an emotional journey when you hear them – seems to be the way to connect with people not retaining a lot of information. You can put yourself in that person’s shoes. When we’re able to identify with somebody’s details, those little things bring to life something in us that is really human and empathic. And if the world needs anything right now, we really need empathy."
Bring Stories to Life with the Little Details
During the podcast, Katie mentioned a "vision of a brighter world." With so many educators struggling to remain beacons of light in this time of isolation and overwhelming demands, we asked how they might incorporate storytelling to feel heard by their colleagues and communities. She shared this memory about finding just the right details:
"Back when I was at DC Public Schools, we were launching a new nutrition program. I could talk to the operations people, the school nutrition professionals. But the best thing that I did was eat lunch with first graders and ask them how they liked it. And there were kids who had a strawberry for the first time hanging out with me."
Even simple micro-stories like this are relatable for many educators, reminding them about the joy they find in their work. Katie suggested framing language such as: “That was the thing that kept me teaching today. That’s the thing that keeps me in the classroom.”
"So much happens behind closed school doors," she observed. "Being an educator feels lonely in the classroom. And then at the end of the day, you get to see other teachers and say, 'How was that for you today?' But if you’re doing virtual learning, it just gets lonelier. So the more you can find connections in telling your own story, the better it’s going to be, especially for everyone’s perception of what’s happening in our schools right now."
Katie approaches every campaign with these questions: “What is my vision of a brighter world? Who is my decision-maker? Who can say yes or no to making my vision come true?” She added, "Your decision-maker is at the center of the target. The people who have the ear of the decision-maker can influence them to say yes or no to your vision. Then you can build a story that speaks to those target audiences." And while repeating a story might seem boring from the back end, repetition reinforces brand familiarity. "If I see a brand story on their website, then bump into it on Instagram, and then see it on Twitter, and then hear a radio ad, all of that starts to paint this cohesive picture, and I say, 'Yeah, that’s that story. That’s that brand.'”
Pick a Relatable Character That Experiences Transformation
Katie noted that successful storytelling begins with understanding who'll benefit from the story. "It starts with what you’re trying to get people to know, do, or think differently. Your target audience is going to have a bias towards people that understand their struggles, so that they can relate to that story." This requires a point-of-view character similar to the audience. "Be thoughtful about choosing a main character that is relatable, but also can bridge those lived experience gaps, that can help bring someone along and say, 'I’ve never thought about it that way, and now I understand.'”
Katie finds relatable characters and compelling stories in real life. "Pick one person, child, or teacher that’s experienced the transformation because of you or because of the thing that you’re working on. Once you’ve got this robust story, a core story, you can use it in so many places. You’ve got this success or transformation story that you can put on your website. It can be four sentences. It can be one sentence featured on your homepage that links to the longer story. You can tell it on social. The ways that you can repurpose content are endless."
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
4 Research-backed Tips to Crafting Motivating Stories (Forthright Advising blog post on storytelling)
Forbes Next 1,000 (featuring Katie!)
Chris Lehmann, Science Leadership Academy (Elana mentioned a school leader who talks about storytelling as a primary role of education leaders)
"How Stories Connect And Persuade Us: Unleashing The Brain Power Of Narrative" by Elena Renken, NPR
"What Makes Storytelling So Effective For Learning?" by Vanessa Boris, Harvard Business Publishing
Forthright's work with National Head Start Association (storytelling case study)
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
What’s inspiring Katie: Casual reading that allows her to escape.
Get in touch with Katie: Twitter | LinkedIn | Forthright Advising Twitter
Episode Skeleton (use this to jump to the parts you want to listen to):
[1.20] Katie’s introduction
[6:08] The value of your team as a founder
[7:15] Who does Forthright work with and what they do
[11:33] Humans are wired for stories
[12:08] Why are stories impactful communication in 2022?
[15:33] The emotional impact of stories
[16:54] How do you incorporate stories into your brand? Picking a main character.
[19:37] “Your target audience will have a bias toward people that are like them.”
[24:24] In EdTech, stakeholders include more than just decision makers
[29:06] How Forthright is using stories (types of content)
[31:57] When you’re getting bored of your messaging, it's starting to work.
[35:02] Forthright’s work with National Head Start Association
[40:04] “Working out loud” as a brand storytelling strategy
[41:42] Strategies for educators who want to share their stories / sharing their joy
[47:02] “It always starts with audience and your vision for a brighter world.”
[48:39] What’s inspiring Katie?
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.
Katie Test Davis, Guest
Katie Test Davis is the Founder of Forthright Advising, a national PR and communications firm working exclusively with organizations that love kids – nonprofits, public school districts, foundations, government agencies – to create real systemic change for children and families. Having worked in three public school districts, four family-focused nonprofits (including ASCD and Children’s Law Center), and a PR agency, Katie's superpowers include anticipating roadblocks around the bend, making complex topics accessible and relatable, and communicating tough subjects with kindness and empathy. Her thought leadership has appeared in Education Week and SmartBrief, and she's a frequent podcast guest talking about how to build trust with our communities. In her free time, Katie serves on the Board of Directors for The Hope Center at Pullen, helping youth in foster care successfully transition to adulthood. On Friday mornings, you can find her reading to first graders through WakeEd’s Partners Read Program.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase brand awareness, engagement, and revenue.
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